Virus cases top 20,000 in New York as new restrictions start

A screen displays a message thanking health care workers during the coronavirus outbreak, in a sparsely populated Times Square, Friday, March 20, 2020, in New York. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is ordering all workers in non-essential businesses to stay home and banning non-essential gatherings statewide. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the number of positive coronavirus cases in the state surged to more than 20,000, with more than half the cases in New York City.

Cuomo promised 1,000 temporary hospital beds will be swiftly placed inside a vast Manhattan convention center as officials raced to prepare for an overwhelming number of coronavirus patients.

New Yorkers on Monday experienced their first full day of severe restrictions intended to curb the spread of the virus. All of the state’s “nonessential” businesses were closed under an order that also banned nonessential gatherings of individuals.

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